Winning a Concours: Available Products, Will the heavies weigh in and spill their secret favs? Options

[orthobiz]

Hey, it's concours season and with Jafsmith's major score under his belt I feel it's time to ask:

Glycerine on rubber? How is it used?
Ritz Cloth on windows?
Back To Black on rubber?
Polish, buff, and shine?
Vinyl care?
How about wheelwells? Can I use Formula 409?

Back in my last 914 incarnation, in the 80's, the hot product was P21S for wheels. Anything knock it off its throne? How about NoTouch spray on tires?

Would the weenies and winners please list some of their favorite tips and products for the best looking original 914 finish?

Thanks!

Paul

And can you seriously use peanut butter on the rubber seals? Do you ever close the hood again??? (Was that tongue in cheek???)

A nod to Miss America: do you use vaseline on your teeth when you smile for the judges? Prep H on your sagging bags under your eyes after an all night cleaning session? Nah, I don't really want to know....

[914-8]

for a local concours (including local pca concours) the most important thing for a beginner is removing dirt and dust from the commonly checked hard to reach places - door jambs, under the dash, seat rails, etc.

And making sure you don't leave stuff in the car and that it is properly configured to be scored - i.e., windows up, roof on, take out the aftermarket floor mats, make sure there is nothing in the ashtray, glovebox and storage compartments, etc.

polishing with an electric RANDOM ORBITAL polisher is fine and foolproof. It simply cannot generate enough heat or friction to damage your paint. Even if you apply pressure to it and keep it in one spot for a long time. A high speed direct drive polisher is a completely different story. You never need to use that, and that would be a mistake. The only time you really need that is after a colorsand. It would be a dumb and unnecessary move for a hobbiest to ever use a direct drive high speed polisher on his car paint, to simply polish or wax the car.

The griot's process is good and foolproof. You could duplicate it for cheaper, though. You can get the Porter Cable random orbital on sale usually for around $110-$120, through Lowes and other such places. I think Griot's charges $200+ for the same item. The griot's polishes and pads are good, but very similar to Meguire's. Although Griot's is more expensive, it is easier for a newbie because you buy the complete "package" ready to go, rather than having to figure out what to get.

With that kind of polisher system, you can do the entire car in a couple of hours, using first the light cleaner/polish and pad, followed by the wax.